Two remanded in custody for stealing Rs.2 mn from bank

Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu), March 15 (IANS) A woman and a man were remanded in 14 days of judicial custody by a Tamil Nadu court for allegedly stealing Rs.2 million from a bank, the police said Sunday. According to police, S. Leela, 37, an assistant in a co-operative bank, lodged a report that some people had robbed her of Rs.2 million, which she was supposed to deposit in a bank.

“We had doubts about Leela’s story that miscreants robbed her of Rs.20 lakhs (Rs.2 million) in cash Friday. Investigations exposed the lie. It was an inside-job with the assistance of bus conductor K. Murugan. The entire amount has been recovered,” Syamala Devi, deputy superintendent of police, told IANS.

“Leela admitted during interrogation that she was heavily in debt and stole the money as an easy way out,” Devi added.

According to the police, Leela’s story about being robbed in broad daylight on a busy thoroughfare in Vilathikulam, a small town 500 km south from Chennai, raised suspicion as eyewitnesses did not corroborate her version.